Farallon in Spanish means ‘cliff’ of a sort. The location lies 3 km from Santa Clara southwest. The place is covered in white sand; Playa Blanca means ‘white beach’. This beach is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Pacific Ocean. To get to the main point of Playa Blanca, you need to go a little further, around 3 km, towards Buenaventura.
This place is not visited by many travelers since it is based on a destroyed military base. Some years ago, Farallon, the previous fishing town, had Panamanian military base ruins that were destroyed. This place has seen many fights, some very brutal. It was covered in bullet holes, and now is it is covered by jungles. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, everything changed and it has now became the hottest beach in Panama. The first hotel chain was the Colombian hotel chain, which built a resort here and then started to promote it as Playa Blanca. Locals still prefer to use Farallon for the beach. Since then the development of the town is at its peak; there are plenty of resorts, golf courses, and homes. If you decide to go and visit the beach, do not limit yourself to the main points. The town has seen so much and its history lies in every inch of it.
From Panama City, Playa Blanca is a two-hour drive towards the west. After reaching it, you will find yourself looking at a beach expanse of several miles. This beach is called Playa Blanca and the village close to it is Farallon. If you are in for a little luxury, then you can get in any of the resorts near Playa Blanca. All are filled with luxurious rooms, drinks, bars, and restaurants. Many activities are available, like fishing, beach volleyball, jet skis, hiking, kayaking, sailing, horseback riding, golf, boating, etc. Or you can simply relax and enjoy the warm waters.
Activities
A visit to Farallon can be a one day visit, too. If you are there only for a day and do not have enough cash and time to spend on a luxurious day, than you have the option of getting a Royal Decameron Beach Resort and Casino’s day pass. These passes are only worth $75 USD. They will allow you to use all the facilities. If you do not want to spend money at all or would rather spend the entire day on the beach, then you can do that, too. Beaches are free of cost (unless you get yourself in any trouble) and you can be on the beaches as long as you want.
Places For Stay
Togo Bed & Breakfast
This is a seaside beach house with its own little forest garden and a fountain in the middle of it. The decor of this beach house has been done with recycled materials. There are four rooms, all airy and very spacious. You also get your own terrace and a private passage from the street to the beach. This beach house is available only for adults and it is gay-friendly.
How to get there: Turn left from the National Car Rental and Taxi stand. Go down the road 400 m more to reach the place.
Royal Decameron Beach Resort and Casino
Some call this place Panama’s answer to Vegas. Royal Decameron is a fully luxurious place with six hundred rooms and enough pools, bars, and restaurants to count on both hands. To enjoy Panama’s nightlife and buffet food, come here. This place won’t bore your children. They have a daily kids’ show at 8:30 pm. Families, couples, or anyone who is planning a stay in this hotel should check the offers online. You will get a discount on rooms and as well as drinks. Transport from Panama City is included.
JW Marriott Golf and Beach Resort
Where will you get a more exclusive place than heaven itself if not in Playa Blanca? Yes, this place has 115 luxurious rooms, along with four villas around trails. It has five different restaurants and the menus are designed by an award-winning Panamanian chef. It also has a thirty-six-hole golf course.
Places to Digin
Pipa’s Beach Restaurant
The most delightful thing about this place is taking a sip of your drink while looking at the sea. They serve seafood with gourmet touches. You can take a shower in the rented thatched beach shelter. It ranges from $20 to $30, depending on the size of the shelter. It is situated at the end of the road through Farallon.
Woody’s
This is a Canadian-owned restaurant that will serve you food at very reasonable prices. On Tuesday and Saturdays, live music is played at 6 pm.
Cosa Nostra
The place serves very nice Italian food from pasta to pizza. The owner of this place, Luka,o is also Italian and he is a very nice host.
La Fogata
This place is run by a German and Panamanian couple. Here you will get different flavors of seafood and lots of coconut. The outside sitting area is highly desired by the people eating here.
Playa Blanca has everything you need for a vacation. It has food, bars, restaurants, cafes, beaches, markets, etc. It has some other wonderful things, too, that other places do not, like the museum and submarine tour. Visiting this place does not require much preparation. If you want to do advance booking, you can. Either way, it is good.
What’s Nearby?
